The invention relates to actuator mechanisms for controlling the operation of the motor of a portable, hand-held tool.
It is desirable to have an actuator mechanism which can be conveniently actuated by the operator while holding the tool and which, at the same time, provides protection against the occurrence of an inadvertent or accidental start-up of the tool motor. This can be especially hazardous for power driven tools such as a grinding wheel, saw and the like. Inadvertent or accidental start-up of the tool can be prevented by providing a locked-off position for the actuator mechanism.
In addition, it is desirable for the operator to be able to intermittantly start and stop the tool while on other occasions it is preferable to be able to operate the tool without having to manually hold the actuator mechanism in the on position. This latter condition can be characterized as the locked-on position of the actuator mechanism.
Accordingly, it is an object of my invention to provide an actuator mechanism for controlling the operation of the motor of a portable tool that includes a slider and latch member which will hold the tool in the locked-off position to preclude an operator from inadvertently actuating the tool, to permit the operator to operate the tool by applying continuous pressure to the tool and, if desired, to latch the slider to place the tool in the locked-on position so that the tool will continue to operate even though the operator has released his manual hold on the slider.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an actuator mechanism which includes a slider which conforms to the contour of the housing wall of the tool. It is still another object of the invention to provide an actuator mechanism which requires a minimal number of parts and which can be easily assembled.